US President Donald Trump has said the United States will cut off all trade with Spain after the European nation refused to allow its military bases to be used for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
“Spain has been terrible,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding that he had told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut off all dealings” with Spain.
“We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain,” he added.
Trump also said he wants to “cut off all trade with Spain” over NATO spending, adding “we don’t want anything to do with Spain.” He cited his ability to impose an embargo on Spain, based on a recent Supreme Court decision regarding the president’s authority to impose tariffs.
Bessent backed the president’s position, saying, “I agree that the Supreme Court reaffirmed your ability to implement an embargo.”
Earlier, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Spain would not allow its military bases, jointly operated by the US and Spain but under Spanish sovereignty, to be used for attacks on Iran, which Spain has condemned.
“Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations,” Albares said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telecinco.
According to flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24, fifteen US aircraft have departed from the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain since the attacks on Iran.
Spain's stance and the strong condemnation of US-Israeli actions in Iran by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have positioned the country as an outlier in the region, potentially adding strain to its ties with Washington.
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